The Voter Education Project (VEP) began in 1962 as part of the Southern Regional Council. Initially VEP granted funds to civil rights organizations to support voter education, voter registration drives, and voting-related research. In 1964, Vernon Jordan, the second executive director of the VEP, expanded the programs goals to include citizenship training, voter education, and leadership training in the southern United States, while continuing to provide funds to independent voter and civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the League of Women Voters. The VEP’s work with the League of Women Voters is highlighted in the materials below. In 1971, VEP under the leadership of John Lewis, became an independent organization and functioned as a research center and became known as an authoritative source for statistics on southern elections and voter registration in general. Lewis also forged the VEP into an activist organization, launching Voter Mobilization Tours with Georgia state legislator and civil rights advocate Julian Bond. At the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library we are always striving to improve our digital collections. We welcome additional information about people, places, or events depicted in any of the works in this collection. To submit information, please contact us at DSD@auctr.edu.
Sep 4, 2020

Voter Education Project Organizational Records

The Voter Education Project (VEP) began in 1962 as part of the Southern Regional Council. Initially VEP granted funds to civil rights organizations to support voter education, voter registration drives, and voting-related research. In 1964, Vernon Jordan, the second executive director of the VEP, expanded the programs goals to include citizenship training, voter education, and leadership training in the southern United States, while continuing to provide funds to independent voter and civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the League of Women Voters. The VEP’s work with the League of Women Voters is highlighted in the materials below. In 1971, VEP under the leadership of John Lewis, became an independent organization and functioned as a research center and became known as an authoritative source for statistics on southern elections and voter registration in general. Lewis also forged the VEP into an activist organization, launching Voter Mobilization Tours with Georgia state legislator and civil rights advocate Julian Bond.

At the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library we are always striving to improve our digital collections. We welcome additional information about people, places, or events depicted in any of the works in this collection. To submit information, please contact us at DSD@auctr.edu.
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  • Subjects = African Americans--Politics and government
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing VEP Executive Director Geraldine G. Thompson's leadership in a Senate Judiciary Committee Vote, in which the Committee voted 17-1 to approve the Dole-DeConcini compromise of the Voting Rights Act. Geraldine G. Thompson, Executive Director of the Voter Education Project, Inc., hailed the vote as a "resounding victory" for the civil rights community. She urged the Full Senate to swiftly and unanimously pass the bill, calling it an "expression of support for constitutional rights" and a "giant step towards truly making this one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, May 4, 1982
Date Created
1982-05-04
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing VEP Executive Director Geraldine G. Thompson's leadership in a Senate Judiciary Committee Vote, in which the Committee voted 17-1 to approve the Dole-DeConcini compromise of the Voting Rights Act. Geraldine G. Thompson, Executive Director of the Voter Education Project, Inc., hailed the vote as a "resounding victory" for the civil rights community. She urged the Full Senate to swiftly and unanimously pass the bill, calling it an "expression of support for constitutional rights" and a "giant step towards truly making this one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, African American leadership
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Various articles on the voting rights act and it's implications. 15 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"So They Passed the Voting Rights Act", May 1982
Date Created
1982-05
Description
Various articles on the voting rights act and it's implications. 15 pages.
Subject
Voter registration, Voting, African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article on the growing events and clashes of the Klan with the Black population, and how this could be tied to changes in politics. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Klan Activity on the Rise, U.S. Official Says", March 3, 1982
Date Created
1982-03-03
Description
Article on the growing events and clashes of the Klan with the Black population, and how this could be tied to changes in politics. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, Race discrimination
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Reagan administration attacked as voting rights hearings begin", and "Stand on Voting Act and Civil Rights defended by Smith", articles on the pushback from Civil rights activists on possible extensions and changes in the voting rights act. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Reagan Administration Attacked as Voting Rights Hearings Begin", January 28, 1982
Date Created
1982-01-28
Description
"Reagan administration attacked as voting rights hearings begin", and "Stand on Voting Act and Civil Rights defended by Smith", articles on the pushback from Civil rights activists on possible extensions and changes in the voting rights act. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, Voting, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Equality For All" brochure detailing civil rights issues by the Multicultural Task Force of America. 4 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Equality For All" Brochure, 1982
Date Created
1982
Description
"Equality For All" brochure detailing civil rights issues by the Multicultural Task Force of America. 4 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African American women's suffrage, Women's rights, Community Development, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The General Election of 1982, Fulton County, study examines the impact of racial and regional voting behaviors on the race for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. 15 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The General Election of Fulton County, 1982
Date Created
1982
Author
Brimah, K. Farouk
Description
The General Election of 1982, Fulton County, study examines the impact of racial and regional voting behaviors on the race for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. 15 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African Americans--Politics and government, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing a 2.4 percent decrease in the number of Black majority counties in the South, featuring results from a study conducted by K. Farouk Brimah and Richard A. Hudl of the Voter Education Project. The study also showed that the 11 southern states had 284 majority Black counties in 1900 while at the time of the study there were only 89. The study also found that 40 of the 89 majority counties were experiencing declines in Black population. If the present rate of loss continued, additional counties would lose their Black majority by the end of the eighties. The study concluded that the decrease in the number of Black majority counties could have severe repercussions for Black political strength. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, December 1, 1981
Date Created
1981-12-01
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing a 2.4 percent decrease in the number of Black majority counties in the South, featuring results from a study conducted by K. Farouk Brimah and Richard A. Hudl of the Voter Education Project. The study also showed that the 11 southern states had 284 majority Black counties in 1900 while at the time of the study there were only 89. The study also found that 40 of the 89 majority counties were experiencing declines in Black population. If the present rate of loss continued, additional counties would lose their Black majority by the end of the eighties. The study concluded that the decrease in the number of Black majority counties could have severe repercussions for Black political strength. 2 pages.
Subject
African American leadership, City planning, African Americans--Civil rights, African American neighborhoods, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release on a study of the 1981 Atlanta Municipal elections by the Voter Education Project shows that Blacks alone provided enough votes to elect Andrew Young on October 27. Blacks won all four municipal elections in majority Black constituencies, and whites cast an even higher percentage of their votes for white candidates. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Black Votes for Andrew Young", November 4, 1981
Date Created
1981-11-04
Description
Press release on a study of the 1981 Atlanta Municipal elections by the Voter Education Project shows that Blacks alone provided enough votes to elect Andrew Young on October 27. Blacks won all four municipal elections in majority Black constituencies, and whites cast an even higher percentage of their votes for white candidates. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, Voting, Political science
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study conducted by K. Farouk Brimah and Richard A. Hudl. of the Voter Education Project, which found that blacks alone provided enough votes to elect Andrew Young as mayor of Atlanta in the 1981 runoff election. Blacks cast 88% of their votes for Young, while whites cast an even higher percentage of their votes for white candidates than they did in the October 6 election. The study also found that Atlantans could be mobilized, as turnout was higher in the runoff than in the October 6 election. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, November 4, 1981
Date Created
1981-11-04
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study conducted by K. Farouk Brimah and Richard A. Hudl. of the Voter Education Project, which found that blacks alone provided enough votes to elect Andrew Young as mayor of Atlanta in the 1981 runoff election. Blacks cast 88% of their votes for Young, while whites cast an even higher percentage of their votes for white candidates than they did in the October 6 election. The study also found that Atlantans could be mobilized, as turnout was higher in the runoff than in the October 6 election. 2 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, African American leadership
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release on how the VEP found that in the October 6, 1981 City of Atlanta municipal elections, four white candidates won in majority Black districts and all three elections in majority white districts, while Black mayoral candidates received 57% of the total vote and the highest percentage (58%) of registered voters cast ballots in the mayoral election. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"White Candidates Winning Elections in Majority Black Districts", October 23, 1981
Date Created
1981-10-23
Description
Press release on how the VEP found that in the October 6, 1981 City of Atlanta municipal elections, four white candidates won in majority Black districts and all three elections in majority white districts, while Black mayoral candidates received 57% of the total vote and the highest percentage (58%) of registered voters cast ballots in the mayoral election. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, Voting, Political science
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing the victory of four white candidates in majority Black districts in the 1981 City of Atlanta municipal elections, featuring results from a study conducted by K. Farouk Brimah and Richard A. Hudl of the Voter Education Project. The study found that four white candidates won elections in majority Black districts, while all three elections in majority white districts were won by white candidates. The study also found that Andrew Young, the leading mayoral candidate, received 62% of the Black vote, but only 12% of the white vote. The four white mayoral candidates received 87% of the white vote and 11% of the Black vote. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, October 23, 1981
Date Created
1981-10-23
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing the victory of four white candidates in majority Black districts in the 1981 City of Atlanta municipal elections, featuring results from a study conducted by K. Farouk Brimah and Richard A. Hudl of the Voter Education Project. The study found that four white candidates won elections in majority Black districts, while all three elections in majority white districts were won by white candidates. The study also found that Andrew Young, the leading mayoral candidate, received 62% of the Black vote, but only 12% of the white vote. The four white mayoral candidates received 87% of the white vote and 11% of the Black vote. 2 pages.
Subject
African American leadership, City planning, African Americans--Civil rights, African American neighborhoods, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release on the VEP announcing the list of speakers and discussion leaders for VEP's Contemporary Voting Rights Conference, which will focus on the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization, redistricting, and reapportionment, featuring Julian Bond, Leslie Burl McLemore, Robert Walker, Gerald Jones, Victor McTeer, Frank Parker, Laughlin McDonald, and Henry Kirksey, among others. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Announcement of Speakers for the VEP's Contemporary Voting Rights Conference", September 29, 1981
Date Created
1981-09-29
Description
Press release on the VEP announcing the list of speakers and discussion leaders for VEP's Contemporary Voting Rights Conference, which will focus on the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization, redistricting, and reapportionment, featuring Julian Bond, Leslie Burl McLemore, Robert Walker, Gerald Jones, Victor McTeer, Frank Parker, Laughlin McDonald, and Henry Kirksey, among others. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, African American civic leaders, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release on a coalition of civil rights organizations was joined by Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson in announcing support for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, which would extend the Act through 1992 and provide a new way for jurisdictions covered by the Act to "bail-out" if they can prove they have not had discriminatory voting practices for the ten years before the bail-out suit. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Mayor Maynard Jackson Joins Civil Rights Orgs in Campaign To Extend Voting Rights Act", September 17, 1981
Date Created
1981-09-17
Description
Press release on a coalition of civil rights organizations was joined by Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson in announcing support for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, which would extend the Act through 1992 and provide a new way for jurisdictions covered by the Act to "bail-out" if they can prove they have not had discriminatory voting practices for the ten years before the bail-out suit. 2 pages.
Subject
African American mayors, African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, African American women, African American civic leaders, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing a coalition of human rights and civil rights organizations', along with Mayor Maynard Jackson, calls for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Their proposed measure would extend the Act through 1992 and provide a new way for jurisdictions covered by the Act to "bail-out." The coalition urged citizens to contact their Congresspersons and encourage them to support the measure. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, September 17, 1981
Date Created
1981-09-17
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing a coalition of human rights and civil rights organizations', along with Mayor Maynard Jackson, calls for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Their proposed measure would extend the Act through 1992 and provide a new way for jurisdictions covered by the Act to "bail-out." The coalition urged citizens to contact their Congresspersons and encourage them to support the measure. 2 pages.
Subject
African American civic leaders, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, African American mayors
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release on a rally planned by a coalition consisting of the VEP, NAACP, SCLC, and GABEO in support of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, which will feature prominent civil rights activists and political figures, including Congressman Walter Fauntroy, and highlights the importance of minority political participation in the political process. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Voting Rights Act Rally at Piedmont Park", August 28, 1981
Date Created
1981-08-28
Description
Press release on a rally planned by a coalition consisting of the VEP, NAACP, SCLC, and GABEO in support of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, which will feature prominent civil rights activists and political figures, including Congressman Walter Fauntroy, and highlights the importance of minority political participation in the political process. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, African American women, African American civic leaders, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
ERA Women's Equality Day Rally flier for rally at the state capitol building. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
ERA Women's Equality Day Rally Flier, August 26, 1981
Date Created
1981-08-26
Description
ERA Women's Equality Day Rally flier for rally at the state capitol building. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African American women's suffrage, Women's rights, Community Development, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Newspaper article discussing the candidacy qualification of 50 Atlanta residents to run for office in the 1981 city elections. The race for mayor was viewed as particularly competitive, with Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young and state Rep. Sidney Marcus considered the front-runners. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"50 Candidates Pay Their Qualifying Fees For Atlanta City Elections", August 19, 1981
Date Created
1981-08-19
Description
Newspaper article discussing the candidacy qualification of 50 Atlanta residents to run for office in the 1981 city elections. The race for mayor was viewed as particularly competitive, with Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young and state Rep. Sidney Marcus considered the front-runners. 1 page.
Subject
Political campaigns, African American civic leaders, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The Journal of Labor Georgia State AFL-CIO Official Newspaper with article "ERA Coalition Vows to Keep Fighting for Equality". 7 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The Journal of Labor Georgia State AFL-CIO Official Newspaper Vol. LXXVI No. 14, July 17, 1981
Date Created
1981-07-17
Description
The Journal of Labor Georgia State AFL-CIO Official Newspaper with article "ERA Coalition Vows to Keep Fighting for Equality". 7 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African American women's suffrage, Women's rights, Community Development, Labor, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Testimony of Geraldine G. Thompson before the subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House Judiciary Committee.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Testimony of Geraldine G. Thompson," June 23, 1981
Date Created
1981-06-23
Description
Testimony of Geraldine G. Thompson before the subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House Judiciary Committee.
Subject
African American civic leaders, African American women, African Americans--Politics and government, Voting
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release on Mrs. Geraldine G. Thompson, executive director of the VEP, testified before the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House Judiciary Committee, calling the Voting Rights Act "the most effective civil rights legislation ever passed" and stating that the key provisions of the Act should be extended if minorities are to achieve full equality in the political system. 5 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Thompson Speaks on Voting Rights Act", June 23, 1981
Date Created
1981-06-23
Description
Press release on Mrs. Geraldine G. Thompson, executive director of the VEP, testified before the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House Judiciary Committee, calling the Voting Rights Act "the most effective civil rights legislation ever passed" and stating that the key provisions of the Act should be extended if minorities are to achieve full equality in the political system. 5 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights, African American women, African American civic leaders, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records